Century Renata

Century Renata has the simple address of Richmond Road, pincode 560027, one of the older residential streets of central Bangalore. This is the settled core of the city, where the daily errands, the schools and the hospitals are already around you. The question is not whether they exist but how the traffic behaves at the hour you leave.

The developer has not published a landmark, a cross street or distances to anything, so we quote none. Visit the address and walk the block in both directions. Note where the gate opens, how the service lane works, and whether a right turn out of the site is possible or whether you will loop around.

A central address changes your budget in another way. Parking is scarce on the street, so the number of bays that come with the home matters more here than in a suburb, and a duplex household with three cars should confirm all three fit. Ask the residents' association about visitor parking, since a finished project has a working answer rather than a promise.

Century Renata sells two configurations, with ten sizes between them, all quoted as built-up area. The plain 3 BHK comes in six sizes: about 2,793, 2,854, 2,932, 3,016, 3,165 and 3,205 sq ft. A 3 BHK with a private garden or terrace is about 3,268 sq ft. The 4 BHK duplexes are about 4,977, 5,238 and 5,437 sq ft, each spread across two levels. Carpet areas are not published, but in a finished home you can measure the rooms yourself.

The 3 BHKs run from Rs. 6.73 Crore for the smallest to Rs. 7.69 Crore for the 3,205 sq ft plan, about Rs. 24,100 per sq ft at the entry point. The garden or terrace flat is Rs. 9.28 Crore. The duplexes go from Rs. 11.79 Crore to Rs. 12.86 Crore, about Rs. 23,700 per sq ft on the largest.

The homes are complete and handed over, so no GST is due on a flat that has its occupancy certificate. Stamp duty and registration are due on the full purchase value, which at these prices is a large sum in itself. Ask for a cost sheet that lists:

• The unit price and the area it is charged on
• Car parking, with the number of bays and their location
• Clubhouse membership and the maintenance deposit or advance
• Any transfer charge if the flat is a resale from an earlier allottee
• Stamp duty and registration on the full value

Century Renata has no published RERA registration number. Handover in March 2019 falls in the period when Karnataka RERA was already in force. Ask Century Real Estate whether the project was registered, and check the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in). If it was never registered, ask for the reason in writing.

Because the homes are finished, the purchase is on a sale deed rather than an agreement for sale, and the documents to check are those of a completed building:

• The occupancy certificate for the block your flat is in
• The sanctioned building plan, with your flat matching what was approved
• Khata in the current owner's name and the latest property tax receipt
• Title documents and an encumbrance certificate for the 1.14 acres
• A no-dues letter from the residents' association if the seller is an earlier allottee
• The draft sale deed

After registration, apply for the khata transfer into your name and take over the maintenance account. If the flat is a resale, also collect the original allotment letter and the earlier sale deed, so that the chain of ownership is complete.

Century Renata is built as low blocks of four floors on 1.14 acres, and because it is complete you can see the real thing rather than a render. Walk the whole site. The listed count of 36 blocks does not square with the plot, so see for yourself how the buildings are arranged, how far apart they stand, and which flats look at a wall rather than the garden.

A day here runs through the clubhouse: the gymnasium in the morning, the swimming pool after work, the games room and the spa and sauna on a weekend. A squash court is on the list, which is uncommon at this scale. Children have a play area, and the party area covers the birthdays and functions that would otherwise fill your living room.

Retail spaces are part of the development, so ask what has opened in them and what the tenants' hours are, because a shop below a four-floor block is heard more than one below a tower. Ask the residents' association for the maintenance rate, the state of the reserve fund and any pending repair to the pool or the lifts. Several years after handover, these tell you more than the amenity list.